There is an urgent need among golfers to have a relatively simple, convenient and inexpensive method for carrying golf clubs.
Repetitive bending and stooping to pick up a golf bag from the ground is extremely tiring, if not impossible for golfers with orthopedic problems. The weight of the bag can also cause soreness and irritation to the shoulders.
Golf carts that are hand-pulled are unsatisfactory, particularly on hilly terrain or where there are creeks or uneven ground. This tends to cause the golfer's arm or shoulder to become fatigued, which can adversely affect one's game. In addition, some golfers may not decide which club to use until they are at the tee, because of wind conditions or changes in pin location, thus requiring them to pull a cart up to an elevated tee.
A coupling apparatus to couple the golf cart to the torso of the golfer would not solve the problem, since it might lessen fatigue of the arm, but would simultaneously cause fatigue and strain of the low back muscles.
Other devices, known in the prior art for transporting goods from place to place, are releasably attached to the body. However, the overwhelming majority of these devices depend upon the use of shoulder straps, which require constant adjustment, wear out rapidly with frequent use and worst of all cause the bulk of the weight distribution to be pulling downward on the shoulders.
None of these devices known in the prior art pivot freely on the shoulders to allow for shifts in body movement and direction, which would avoid an annoying downward pulling force on the shoulders.
Moreover, other devices known in the prior art either pull on the hip, torso, low back or some other portion of the body causing soreness and irritation of the affected part.
On the contrary, the present invention distributes the weight to be carried on a rigid frame, which freely rides on the shoulder; and it is the frame which bears the weight, not any portion of the body.
The known prior art relating to carriers attached to the body includes the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 950,452; 1,302,927; 1,727,008; 2,124,265; 2,140,688; 3,328,043; and 3,856,191.